Households in Swindon and Wiltshire were asked to use less water on Tuesday 11 August 2026, as drought conditions grew worse across England, Wiltshire 999s reported. Both Swindon and Wiltshire were officially in drought.
Swindon is mainly supplied by Thames Water, which had brought in a hosepipe ban, and falls within the Thames Valley drought area. Wessex Water, which supplies large parts of Wiltshire, had not imposed a ban.
The national picture
- About 71.3 per cent of England was in drought, the Environment Agency said, with around 45 million people living in drought areas.
- More than 27 million people were under water-use restrictions, and eight water companies had brought in hosepipe bans.
- July was England's driest since records began in 1836.
- Rainfall so far in August was about 5 per cent of the expected level.
- Reservoirs stood at 69 per cent, 11.6 per cent lower than expected for the time of year.
- It was England's third drought in five years, after 2022 and 2025.
Tony Grayling, the Environment Agency's Strategic Drought Lead, said: "Drought conditions are worsening and will continue to do so until we see significant and sustained rainfall."
What households were asked to do
The suggested steps were taking shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing teeth and fixing leaking toilets.
Source: Wiltshire 999s.